


The Luckiest

by jane_x80



Series: The Past is the Past [5]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Case Fic, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-01 19:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10928502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_x80/pseuds/jane_x80
Summary: The MCRT is called in to investigate a bombing case soon after Tony and Gibbs return from their honeymoon. Gibbs is hurt in a blast, and Tony has to continue working the case.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cutsycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/gifts).



> This is for cutsycat, to cheer her up with a little story involving a silly, sleepy kitten. :D
> 
> Check out the amazing artwork by [Red_Pink_Dots](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Pink_Dots)! She was also responsible for the masterpieces that greatly enhanced [Somewhere to Begin](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10662837). Her art masterpost for Somewhere to Begin can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10782408). :D 
> 
> Big hugs to cutsycat, and again, thank you Red_Pink_Dots for collaborating with me to complete this gift for her. :D
> 
> The title is from the song [The Luckiest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9bRmuP-kQY), by Ben Folds, which is of course, Gibbs' and Tony's song in this 'verse.

[](http://imgur.com/SzzMvfP)

It was a difficult case. Only their second case after returning from their honeymoon, so Tony really didn’t feel as if he was quite ‘back’ yet when the team was thrust into the action. They were called in to Naval Weapon Station Yorktown after a bomb had been detonated in the main complex. It had been placed such that the detonation itself wasn’t lethal, but it caused maximum damage to the building’s structure. By the time the MCRT arrived on site, three people had died when the building started collapsing, and over a dozen more injured. Emergency personnel were carefully moving through the rubble, looking for survivors, and canine units were deployed to help with the effort.

Tony stared at the destruction and was immediately reminded of the time when Dearing had bombed the Navy Yard. He and McGee exchanged grim looks, both of them thinking the same thing, before they squared their shoulders and threw themselves into the investigation and the rescue effort.

Hours later, they were exhausted but rescuers were reasonably certain that everyone who had been trapped had been extracted, and the remains of the bomb had been sent to Abby to be analyzed. In the meantime, McGee and Bishop were combing through hours of security footage to try to identify the people who had the opportunity to access where the bomb had been placed. Tony was running down all leads based on tips. Strangely enough no groups immediately came forward to take credit for the attack, and by the time someone did, it seemed to be more an opportunistic move to claim credit rather than have actually been responsible for it, but regardless, Tony followed up on all leads, including these claims.

They got a couple of hours sleep at their desks, planning to get up and go right back to work when another bomb detonated, cutting their downtime short. This time the target was a building at JEB Little Creek. The MCRT immediately roused themselves from their desks, geared up and hurried there. Luckily, the bomb had gone off in the early hours of the morning, before the real hustle and bustle of the day, so there were no deaths. But there were quite a few people injured. Emergency personnel again scoured the area in search of trapped survivors, and the MCRT worked the case. The current theory was that both Yorktown and Little Creek might have been bombed by the same person or persons, given the proximity of the attacks, although they continued to work both cases separately, not making the assumption of a connection until they had evidence of such a connection.

Later that afternoon, Abby came back with proof that both devices had been made by the same person, and had the same signature, and couldn’t have been in place much longer than seventy two hours prior to detonation – there was a lot of geek speak there that Gibbs ignored but the conclusion seemed clear. The same person had made both bombs and there was a seventy two hour window during which time the bombs could have been placed.

McGee and Bishop worked to see if facial recognition software could identify persons that might have been in both places during the windows of opportunity, and Tony went through base sign ins for the same purpose while Gibbs attended briefing after briefing in MTAC, assuring the SecNav and the newly appointed SecDef that the perpetrator was still not someone they could prove was connected to the terrorist groups currently claiming responsibility for the actions and insisting that the investigation be allowed to continue to lead where they needed to lead rather than accepting uncorroborated claims while the guilty party got away and was given the opportunity to bomb other targets. Gibbs was lucky that his reputation was what it was as he didn’t bother to hide his disdain for the SecNav during these meetings, and she in turn mostly addressed Vance instead of Gibbs. If the new SecDef had any idea as to the reasons behind the animosity, he did not bring it up, which Vance, at least, was thankful for.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team continued to work in the bullpen. Tony’s investigation turned up three names that appeared at both stations during the seventy two hour window, and security feeds confirmed it. McGee continued the facial recognition comparison, to catch people who might not have signed in the base using the same name, but then he, Tony and Bishop each took one of the three names and dug into them. Time passed as they worked.

“I don’t think it’s my guy!” Bishop sighed. She clicked and the information appeared on the plasma screen. “John Adelson, twenty two, is a junior at Arlington Community College. He works for a vendor and his job is to restock the vending machines. The company he works for has the contracts for the vending machines at all the bases in Virginia and Maryland, and Adelson regularly goes in and out of these bases according to a set schedule. There were no deviations to the schedule, and from what I can tell by following him on the security feeds, he might have dragged his feet a little but he did his job. He didn’t deviate from his normal route. He may have snuck in way too many smoke breaks – kid’s gonna get lung cancer before he’s thirty at this rate – but that’s about it. His background check came back clean, no ties to any known terrorist groups for him or his family. No knowledge of ordinances or any explosives. He still lives with his parents, has a couple of speeding tickets but that’s about it.”

She clicked through and showed security footage, showing where the deviations were smoke breaks in the designated smoking areas. Adelson left his cart of vending machine refills by the door to the smoking areas, ran out, smoked a couple of cigarettes, seemingly friendly with other smokers, before he resumed his duties.

“I’ll keep on digging into this guy,” Bishop shrugged. “I can’t find any window where he disappears from the cameras long enough to have planted the bomb. I just don’t feel like he’s the one doing all this. Call it my gut. Outside of work, he seems to be pretty stereotypical for that age – goes out with his bros on the weekend, parties hard, B student in college, and seems quite socially adjusted. For a kid that age.”

“Has he ask for time off work recently?” Tony asked. “Any subs come in for him unexpectedly? In case our window of opportunity should be expanded?”

Bishop glanced at her notes and shook her head. “Nope. He’s worked his scheduled hours. No deviations. No sick leave, no swapping shifts with anyone else. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Keep digging but McGee, we better work faster to see about our two suspects.”

McGee nodded and they returned to their work. A half hour later Tony threw his pen on the desk and pushed his chair back, sighing in frustration.

“I don’t think it’s my guy either,” he frowned as he pulled the information up on the plasma. “Gabriel Ward, age fifty six. He’s a consultant and that’s why he was in both Little Creek and NWS Yorktown.”

“What kind of consultant?” Bishop asked.

“Food services consultant. Ward is visiting all of the Navy cafeterias in all of the bases and working to improve them.”

“Oh! Better food would be awesome!” McGee nodded. “But are you sure he didn’t do it?”

“Sure is a strong word but I can’t find any evidence that Ward has any experience with explosives or building them.”

“You can just google it on the internet and suddenly everyone’s a mass murderer,” McGee frowned.

“True, but Mr Ward here isn’t very good with computers,” Tony frowned. “He hunts and pecks – and Probie you know I totally got you and Kate with my ‘hunt and peck’ routine,” he winked at McGee, who flushed and glared at him for reminding him of underestimating Tony’s typing abilities way back when. “But unlike me, he isn’t trying to fool anyone. He’s like the Boss. Not big on technology. You guys can check his google history if you like, but this man is about the food and bringing good food to cafeterias.”

“God, I hope he comes and fixes our caf,” McGee sighed.

“So he’s legit?” Bishop asked. “What kind of success has he had with other cafeterias?”

“Seems to be legit,” Tony nodded. “He fixed up a bunch of Fortune 500 company cafeterias, and he re-did chow at Army bases all over the country.”

“Oh!” Bishop’s eyes widened as she gasped. “Ward fixed the mess hall at Army? I was at Fort Bragg for that one joint case we had and they had practically gourmet food at the mess hall!”

Tony nodded. “His reputation is he takes what they’re already working with and rejiggers it so he can give people good food without increasing their costs.”

“Oh my god! I _really_ hope he’s not the perp because I so want him to fix our cafeteria!” Bishop grinned.

“Good to know your priorities are in the right place, Bish,” Tony remarked, one eyebrow raised.

“You know what I mean. You’re the one with the loudest complaints about the quality of the pizza they serve down there,” Bishop rolled her eyes.

“Please. Don’t even call that atrocity pizza,” Tony snorted, lip curling in disgust. “No. Just. No. And for the record, I spoke to Ward’s assistant who faxed me the list of the bases that Ward has been scheduled to review and is on the list for his upgrades and the Yard is on it. He’s scheduled to be here in two weeks.”

“Yes!” Bishop fist pumped.

“And you know, in case you guys were worried about whether or not he’s the perp, I followed him on camera and for the duration of his visits at Yorktown and Little Creek, he was always escorted by Navy personnel – Visitors need to be escorted on base at all times, of course – and he stayed in the cafeteria and kitchen areas. No windows of opportunity to sneak away anywhere to plant a bomb,” Tony said glumly.

“Did he go to Yorktown and Little Creek alone? Did he have an assistant or something who might have been able to slip away unnoticed?” McGee asked.

Tony shook his head with a long sigh. “He went alone. Didn’t bring anyone with him. He apparently likes to get a feel for the places he’s been asked to fix by himself, so he doesn’t get a muddied perspective. At least for the first visits, until he comes up with a plan.”

“Wow, you’re really getting to know this guy’s methods,” Bishop teased.

“He just has a chatty assistant,” Tony shrugged.

“Who you were so thoroughly flirting with,” McGee accused.

“Gets the job done,” Tony was matter of fact. “Besides, for all she knows, I might be sixty five years old and weigh three hundred and fifty pounds. Flirting on the phone doesn’t count.”

“We know flirting on the job doesn’t count between you and Gibbs,” Bishop told him, smiling gently. “Don’t pay McGee any attention, Tony. He’s practically married to Delilah and he still doesn’t know how to flirt with her.”

Tony laughed at his junior agents who were mock frowning at each other. “McHe-Who-Flirts-Awkwardly, why don’t you give us a rundown on what you have on your guy.”

McGee glared at Tony for a moment before he started putting things up on the plasma. “I can’t rule her out – my guy’s a girl. Sorry Bishop, she’s a woman. Petty Officer Harriet Undine. She’s stationed at Little Creek but when I told her CO she’d been at Yorktown, he seemed surprised, but then mentioned something about some assignment or other. Her CO was pretty vague, and it bothers me that her he couldn’t give me a real reason why she was at Yorktown.”

Tony frowned. “Experience with explosive ordinances?”

“Nothing overt, but you know, she could have googled it, or just read up on it with the resources at her disposal,” McGee bit his lip. “She’s a maybe.”

“Put a note out to all Naval Bases to inform us if she’s on site, anywhere but Little Creek, where she’s supposed to be stationed,” Tony ordered. “If it is her, let’s hope she’s done setting off bombs at Little Creek itself.”

Bishop nodded and picked up her phone. Tony was staring thoughtfully at the information McGee had dug up. His gut was screaming at him now, but they needed evidence.

“Fuck!” Bishop cursed into her phone. “Tony, Petty Officer Undine just signed in to Norfolk.”

“Norfolk?” Tony frowned. “McGee!”

“I’m calling her CO right now,” McGee responded.

“Bishop, call Norfolk and tell their security teams to monitor her but not to detain her yet. I don’t want her to set anything off because they scared her,” Tony barked.

“On it,” Bishop dialed the phone again.

Tony called Gibbs. “Boss, we have a possible suspect who just signed in to Norfolk even though she’s stationed at Little Creek. She was at Yorktown during Abby’s window of opportunity, too. Right. OK. On it.” Tony waited until his team was off the phone. “Gear up. The boss is getting us a priority ride out to Norfolk.”

“Not a chopper!” McGee moaned as he opened his desk drawer to grab his Dramamine. “I hate choppers! It’s like being on a ship. Or worse.”

“Let’s go, people,” Gibbs barked, striding down the stairs.

Tony, McGee and Bishop grabbed their guns, badges, and gear and ran after their team lead.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs had arranged for the Marine Corps to give them a chopper ride to Norfolk, to get them there much faster than the three hours that it would have taken Gibbs to drive them. It would have taken normal people four to five hours to drive from DC to Norfolk, but Gibbs did not drive like a normal person. And since this was a high priority case, they flew there in record time.

Norfolk Security was monitoring Undine but apparently they had been spotted early on. Undine was riding the base buses and leading them around without actually going into any structures, and by the time the MCRT arrived, she seemed to be happily riding her fourth on-base bus of the day.

“No, sir, she hasn’t signed into any of the buildings or structures,” the security lead reported to Gibbs.

Gibbs growled. “What’s her deal now?” he turned to his team.

“When did she spot you guys?” Bishop asked the security lead.

He shrugged and shook his head. “I can’t say. She was already on a bus when we got your call. But she hasn’t gone into any buildings and the only structures she’s been in are the little bus stops where she waits to change buses.”

“We should search the bus stops,” Tony muttered quietly to Gibbs, who nodded imperceptibly, but placed a hand on Tony’s arm, stopping him from running off.

“Have your men search all the bus stops she was in,” Gibbs ordered the security lead. “You’ll be able to hit them all faster than we can.”

“We should search the buses she was on as well,” Tony agreed.

“Should we stop the bus she’s on right now?” Bishop asked.

“Negative,” Gibbs shook his head. “We don’t know if she has the explosives with her or not. Check all the bus stops and the buses she was on first. And maybe try to get the people off the bus and not let any others on the bus she’s on right now. As discreetly as we can so we don’t spook her.”

Everyone nodded.

“We should check the very first bus first, Boss,” Tony added. “Since that was a time where nobody had eyes on her yet?”

Gibbs nodded and barked for the security lead to take them to the first bus. They radioed and had the bus stopped and evacuated safely. Gibbs was just about to enter the bus, Tony right behind him, when the bus that Undine was riding drove by on its route.

“She’s got something in her hand!” security reported urgently over the radio. “She just spotted the evacuated bus as we passed by.”

“Boss…” Tony started, reaching out for Gibbs when the bus they were about to enter exploded, a huge massive fireball, throwing him back ten feet, where he landed on his back. He lay, stunned for a moment, before he pushed up on shaky elbows, looking around wildly for Gibbs. “ _Gibbs!!!!_ ” he screamed when he saw his husband lying unmoving on the ground, eyes closed, clothes tattered.

“ _Medic!_ ” Tony screamed, scrambling up and running to Gibbs, checking for his pulse (thready), and looking him over. Second degree burns scattered throughout his body, some scrapes and abrasions. Luckily no bus shrapnel embedded in any part of him, but he was definitely out cold. Tony’s hand came away bloody from the back of Gibbs’ head and Gibbs wasn’t responding when he slapped Gibbs’ cheeks. Tony’s heart was pounding with fear when he saw that Gibbs’ arm was bent funny. He had some broken bones there. “Shit, fuck, shit,” he kept swearing. “McGee – stop Undine’s bus and evacuate it immediately. Keep watch in case she has a secondary device on her. I’ll be right there.”

Bishop came running towards them.

“Tony! Are you all right?” she gasped.

“Stay with him,” Tony squeezed Gibbs’ good hand and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Stay with me, you fucking bastard,” he whispered in his ear. “I’m gonna go get the bitch who did this to you.”

Tony stood, his head clear, his eyes steely as he turned to Bishop. “Stay with him,” he repeated. “Head injury, at least one broken bone in his arm, first and second degree burns. I don’t see any shrapnel. Stay with him Bishop. I have to go.”

“Go,” Bishop told him, her gaze steady. “I’ve got him.”

Tony’s expression faltered and for a moment, he looked indecisive and guilty, before that disappeared, replaced by steely determination again. Tony gave Bishop a nod before he ran off to where the other bus had been pulled over. The security team on board was helping to evacuate the bus. McGee was ushering the passengers out and away by the back door. Tony took his place by the front door. When the bus was evacuated, other than Undine who remained on it, sitting on the edge of a seat, security team guns pointed toward her, both he and McGee boarded, weapons drawn.

“Petty Officer Harriet Undine,” Tony called. “NCIS. Keep your hands where we can see them and do not move.”

Undine stared at him, her expression inscrutable. Her fingers twitched towards her bag but Tony clicked his safety off.

“I _will_ shoot you,” he told her grimly. “Don’t move a muscle.”

Undine stared at him for a long moment before she nodded slowly. She could see that Tony was itching for her to make a move so he could take her out, so she remained still. Tony jerked his head and McGee came up from behind, taking first one hand and then the other, cuffing her hands behind her back. Tony edged forward and gingerly placed Undine’s bag on the floor before letting McGee escort her off the bus.

“Get the bomb unit here to check her bag,” Tony barked at the security personnel as they all got off the bus and walked a safe distance away. Tony’s eyes strayed over to the burning bus, but Gibbs wasn’t lying on the ground anymore, and was being wheeled into an ambulance.

Bishop gave him a thumbs up, “I got him, Tony. I’ll stay with him,” she said over the radio. “He woke up briefly, but wasn’t terribly lucid. Asked for you. I told him what you were doing.”

“Roger. Thanks Bish,” Tony acknowledged her before turning back to the security lead. “Continue to search the bus stops and the buses that she was on. Be thorough. Bring in the dogs. Just in case.”

“On it,” the man nodded before he barked into the radio. “I hope your team lead is OK.”

“He better be,” Tony muttered darkly. “Once the searches are done, if we get the all clear, we’ll be taking Undine back with us to the Yard for interrogation.”

“Yes, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I tagged fluff. The fluffy bits will be in the next chapter to be posted in the next couple of days. Sorry ;).
> 
> Cutsycat's Reverse Bang story comes out tomorrow!


	2. Chapter 2

[](http://imgur.com/SzzMvfP)

Very late that night, Gibbs was sitting in his hospital bed, growling under his breath to himself at being forced to remain overnight. He had been patched up and was asked to stay for observation. Usually he would check himself out AMA and just go home, fuck what the doctors said. But then Bishop had dialed Tony and it was definitely something Bishop would recount to McGee and Abby later – Gibbs sat there and nodded, and meekly said “Yes, Tony,” and “OK, gorgeous” to whatever Tony was saying. And when he gave Bishop the phone back, with a curt “He wants to talk to you,” Bishop found herself also saying “Yes, Tony,” and “On it, Tony” when he gave Bishop orders to return to the Navy Yard and continue with the investigation.

“Is Gibbs going home tonight?” she asked him, ignoring Gibbs’ death glare. “Do you want me to drive him home or something?”

“No,” Tony told her curtly. “He’s staying there until I can come and get him. And if he leaves…”

Bishop held her breath, but Tony didn’t finish his sentence. “You sure you don’t need me to stay and… make sure he doesn’t leave AMA?” she asked, resolutely not looking at Gibbs, not wanting to see the killer expression that he was surely giving her.

“My husband is going to stay put and not go anywhere tonight, Bishop. I need you here on this case. We’re going to figure out if Undine has any accomplices, or other people who are ready to take up her cause, whatever it is. And we need to figure out if she’s already had the opportunity to plant bombs at other bases. We need to lock this case up tight.” Unsaid was the fact that it was now personal, given that Gibbs was in the hospital with a concussion and a broken arm.

“I’m on my way, Tony,” Bishop told him, as her Senior Field Agent hung up on her. She turned sympathetic eyes on Gibbs. “Well, I’m just gonna go… D’you need anything before I leave?”

Gibbs shook his head and Bishop would describe his expression as a pout. It was weird. Gibbs was not a pouter. But whatever Tony had said to him was making him pout.

“Well, OK then,” she said, before she ran off. She came back in ten minutes, bringing him a huge cup of coffee from a coffee shop and not from the cafeteria. “From Tony,” she muttered, before she squeezed Gibbs’ good hand and ran off.

And so Gibbs had been stuck in the hospital overnight for observation with the nurses giving him the requisite and incredibly annoying concussion checks. He was awake after his last concussion check at a little after 0400 when his door opened and Tony silently slipped in.

“Hey, babe,” Tony said, his voice soft. “What are you doing awake?”

“Hey,” Gibbs greeted him. He rolled his eyes. Why was he awake? Because they kept waking him up, of course. If he was the kind to say ‘duh’ that was definitely what he would have said.

But Tony looked tired. His shirt collar was open, no sign of his tie, his hair mussed in the way that it got when he kept running his fingers through it. There were dark half-circles of exhaustion under his eyes, and his expression was grim.

“Case all buttoned up?” Gibbs asked, his tone gentle, even though he was still smarting at having to stay at the hospital.

Tony nodded and dropped into the chair next to the bed. He sighed as he took Gibbs’ good hand. “How’re you feeling?” he asked.

“Hurting a bit. Mostly just angry about being stuck here.”

Tony nodded, pressing his lips to the back of Gibbs’ hand. Gibbs saw that Tony’s fingers were trembling when he turned Gibbs’ hand over and kissed the inside of his wrist.

“You OK, gorgeous?” Gibbs asked.

Tony nodded, keeping his eyes down and his lips pressed into the older man’s palm.

“Look at me,” Gibbs said.

Tony sighed and kept his eyes down, trembling fingers clenching around Gibbs’ hand.

“Tony. Gorgeous. Look at me, please.”

Finally Tony raised his eyes, and Gibbs saw that his beautiful green eyes were brimming with tears.

“Tony,” he breathed, pulling his hand out of Tony’s grasp and placing it on the younger man’s cheek, cupping his face gently. “I’m OK. Look. I’m completely fine.”

Tony nodded and blinked, and the tears escaped, rolling down his cheeks in a single line.

“Fuck,” Gibbs breathed. Tony was strong. Gibbs knew it. And if Tony was crying, then he was really upset. “C’mere,” he put his hand on the back of Tony’s neck and pulled him closer, wishing that he had full use of his other arm. “C’mere. What’s wrong? C’mere, gorgeous. What happened? Did something happen?”

Tony kicked off his shoes and climbed on the bed, tucking his head into Gibbs’ neck, breathing him in, clutching Gibbs’ hospital gown as he shook and hot tears splashed onto Gibbs’ neck, even though, as usual, when he cried, Tony made no sound. He ran his good hand up and down Tony’s back from the back of his head down to his ass and then back up, kissing his hair and temple. He ran the fingers of his other hand up and down Tony’s arm gently, unable to wrap that arm around his husband since it was broken. He whispered words of love and reassurance, waiting until Tony stopped shaking and was breathing in broken sobs into his now-damp hospital gown.

“Better?” Gibbs asked, running his fingers through Tony’s hair, scratching his scalp gently and digging his fingernails in a little, in the way that Tony liked.

Tony nodded, and Gibbs could feel his muscles slowly relax and un-tense, and his breathing gradually evened out. He continued to pet his husband’s head. “Come on now,” he coaxed. “You know you like it when I do this,” he urged, wanting Tony to relax and give him the response he wanted. The response he needed.

After a few moments, Tony’s fingers unclenched, releasing Gibbs’ hospital gown, and as the older man scritched his scalp, Tony burrowed his face into Gibbs’ chest, arching his neck, wordlessly begging for him to continue petting him as he began that deep throated purr, that leonine purr that Gibbs loved. Gibbs carried on petting Tony’s head, letting Tony purr into his chest, watching as the younger man sighed and relaxed, one arm snaking around Gibbs’ chest, one leg tangled in between his, and his breathing quieted down. This was his favorite Tony, the one who put himself entirely in Gibbs’ hands, and purred like a contented lion, coiled around his favorite toy.

They stayed like this until Tony finally pulled away, pushing himself up on an elbow. “Am I hurting you?” he asked anxiously.

Gibbs shook his head and smiled. “I’m OK. I would’ve been fine at home.”

Tony shook his head and his eyes started to fill again.

“Hush,” Gibbs’ tone was gentle as his fingers continued to work their magic in Tony’s hair and scalp, forcing Tony to close his eyes and purr, stretching like the lion that Gibbs thought he was. Then he ran his fingers through the hair on the back of Tony’s head, the site of oh so many head slaps. “Tell me what happened, gorgeous,” he told his husband.

Tony nodded, and allowed Gibbs to pull him back down onto his chest. “We determined that Undine worked alone. Her boyfriend was killed in Afghanistan two years ago, and she started dating one of the bomb squad people and apparently talked him into teaching her how to make bombs. Abby matched partial serial numbers from all four bombs to supplies registered to Little Creek.”

“Four bombs?” Gibbs asked. “Was there another attack?”

“She had a second device in her bag on the bus,” Tony said grimly. “We got to her before she could place it or detonate it.”

“Motive? Was she aligned to any groups?”

Tony shook his head. “Nope. She was angry about her boyfriend’s death. Blamed the Navy for not providing air backup or something. So…”

Gibbs sighed. Another revenge-seeking nutjob. Great.

“But she was working alone. No accomplices. She’d broken up with the demolitions expert months ago. And we’ve confirmed that she hasn’t been at any other bases, so we don’t believe she had the opportunity to set up another device at a different base. The bomb squads went over Yorktown and Little Creek with a fine tooth comb as well, just in case.”

Gibbs nodded.

“Are you really all right?” Tony suddenly pushed himself up on his elbow again, taking in Gibbs’ face, the burns that were exposed on his body, the bandages, and the cast on his arm.

“I’ll have to do PT for my arm and be confined to my desk for a few weeks,” Gibbs frowned. “But other than that, I’m totally fine.”

“You were practically in the bus when it went off,” Tony whispered. “I saw you lying there. You were so still. I thought you were…”

“I’m fine…” Gibbs’ fingers moved into Tony’s hair, combing through it. He felt a bump on the back of Tony’s head, and gently fingered it, causing Tony to hiss in pain. “You were hurt, too.”

“I’ve got a hard head,” Tony shrugged it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Tony, did you let anyone examine you? Ducky?”

“I’m perfectly fine, babe.”

“So no, then?”

“It’s cause I’m _fine_.”

“You always say you’re fine.” Gibbs pressed the call button and a nurse came in. She jumped when she saw Tony lying half on Gibbs on the bed.

“Agent Gibbs?” she asked.

“My stubborn husband here was in the same blast that I was in yesterday,” he told her, ignoring Tony’s glare. “He’s refused medical attention.”

“I’m still refusing medical attention because I totally don’t need it,” Tony protested. “I already told you I’m fine.”

“For me, gorgeous?” Gibbs gave Tony that look, all pleading big blue eyes, and the nurse had to hide a giggle.

“How about I get checked later?” Tony offered.

“How about you go with the nice nurse here right now and we can go home together after?” Gibbs countered. “If she says you’re good to go, of course. Because far be it for me to allow you to check yourself out of the hospital AMA.”

Tony groaned and buried his face in Gibbs’ chest. “I just got here,” he sighed. “I just need to make sure you’re OK.”

“And I need to make sure you’re OK,” Gibbs told him gently. “You have a bump on your head. And this isn’t the same suit you were wearing yesterday, so I don’t know what else might be going on with your body.”

“I’m fine,” Tony pouted. “I just want to stay here for a bit.”

“How about a compromise?” the nurse suggested. “I can give you a quick once over right now, right here, and if I think you’re OK then you don’t have to go down to the ER.”

Gibbs nodded and gave Tony a solemn look.

“Oh all right,” the younger man blew out an exasperated breath. “Only because I love you,” he whispered in Gibbs’ ear.

Gibbs pulled his head down and kissed him soundly before he pushed the younger man up and towards the nurse.

“Bump on your head?” the nurse asked.

Tony looked at her name tag and sighed. “Yeah, Karen. Bump on the back of my head.”

“Check him for burns and whatnot too,” Gibbs called.

“You heard the man,” Karen said. “Let’s get your jacket and shirt off.”

“Strip it all off!” Gibbs hooted.

Tony gave him the finger before he took his jacket off and unbuttoned his shirt.

“You guys are those agents from TV,” Karen gasped when she realized who they were. “The married NCIS agents! You were in the news, and on all those interviews!”

Tony growled as he angrily pulled his shirt off while Gibbs nodded.

“Yup,” Gibbs told her succinctly, watching Tony’s movements get jerky as he started getting angry. Unfortunately, it was probably always going to be one of Tony’s hot buttons, even though the SecDef had been dealt with, and the SecNav would shortly be as well.

“I guess that kind of attention really sucked, huh?” Karen was sympathetic.

“Yup,” Gibbs answered her again.

“Agent…?” Karen addressed Tony.

“Gibbs,” Tony snapped. “Tony Gibbs.”

Gibbs tried to get over the lump in his throat when he heard that. Officially Tony had changed his name to Anthony DiNozzo-Gibbs, but he’d started introducing himself as Tony Gibbs to people on a regular basis, and it always made Gibbs’ heart warm, and at the same time hurt a little at the thought of how his Tony had been abused and hurt over and over again as a child. Enough that he no longer wanted his father’s name. But hearing Tony identify himself with Gibbs’ last name made him melt a little, and sometimes caused him to look at Tony even more possessively.

“Right, of course,” Karen nodded. She pulled the chair closer to the light and made Tony sit. She felt his head, checked his eyes, and asked him questions, her attitude professional and clinical. She listened to his heart and lungs, took his blood pressure, and carefully palpated several bruises and contusions, and disinfected and bandaged some lacerations.

“Goose egg on your head, but the skin is unbroken. It’ll hurt for a few days but should go down. See a doctor if it doesn’t,” Karen reported. “No concussion, some contusions and lacerations, but nothing major on your torso and arms.”

“I could’ve told you that,” Tony rolled his eyes, before he glared at Gibbs. “I _did_ tell _you_ that.”

“You can put your shirt back on,” Karen told Tony. “But take your pants off so I can make sure to disinfect and bandage any other abrasions or lacerations.”

“I’m fine,” Tony whined.

Karen turned to Gibbs, eyes questioning. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

“Pants off, Tony,” he barked. “Let the lady do a thorough check.”

Tony growled at him.

“Time was, you’d happily go buck naked for a pretty lady with little or no encouragement,” Gibbs tried to playfully goad him. But there was no mistaking the steel in his tone. Tony was going to let the nurse examine his whole body, because Gibbs knew about his penchant for hiding things under the guise of ‘fine’.

Tony blew out an angry breath before he shrugged back into his shirt, leaving it unbuttoned, and began undoing his belt and pants.

“Do it slow, so we can appreciate it,” Gibbs tried to tease Tony into a better mood.

“Fuck you,” Tony muttered. “See if you ever get any ever again.” But he did slow his movements and shimmied out of his pants, gracefully shaking his ass at Gibbs a little.

Gibbs found himself thanking god that Tony was actually wearing boxers today, given his penchant for going commando most days. He might have teased the younger man about it, but he was glad that Tony wasn’t going to be completely naked in front of the nurse. Gibbs was one hell of a possessive bastard and he knew it. He didn’t even want medical personnel to look at Tony now that the man was his. Hell, he’d hated it when Tony bared his flesh even before Tony was his. He looked his husband up and down to make sure he was OK.

“The fuck is that, Tony?” Gibbs yelled when he saw the bloodstained bandage on Tony’s thigh.

Tony looked down and seemed genuinely surprised, as if he’d forgotten the wound. “Shrapnel,” he shrugged. “No biggie.”

Karen clucked and made him sit at the foot of Gibbs’ bed and stretch his legs out so she would be able to see everything better. She peeled off the bloody bandage and looked at the gouge. “Didn’t an EMT check you out earlier?” she asked.

“It’s fine. I was busy,” Tony deflected. “We had other priorities.”

“This will require stitches,” Karen sighed.

“I’m not going to the ER,” Tony insisted. “It’s fine. Ducky can sew me up later.”

Karen rolled her eyes and got up, getting supplies from the cupboard. She cleaned and disinfected the wound before she pulled out a syringe. “It’s just a local.”

“No needles,” Tony told her grimly. “I hate those things.”

Karen gave him a surprised look and glanced over at Gibbs. His lips were pursed unhappily, but he nodded tightly, not disagreeing with Tony. Tony had issues with syringes. He would rather be sewn up with no anesthetic than allow a local to be injected. Gibbs knew this and knew that unless it was a matter of life or death, Tony would much rather skip the injections. And Gibbs also knew what battles to fight – he’d already gotten away with making Tony get examined and treated. If he pushed anymore, Tony would balk. Besides, Tony would’ve protested the local if Ducky was sewing him up, so it wasn’t as if Tony was doing something different given that this nurse was treating him.

Karen sighed and put down the syringe. “Fine,” she rummaged around in her supplies. “Any objections to a topical anesthetic?”

Tony shook his head.

Karen applied the cream on the surrounding area and in order to give the topical a few minutes to be effective, she went ahead and finished treating his other minor lacerations first. Then she carefully began sewing Tony’s leg up, and Gibbs held Tony’s hand. Tony kept his eyes closed, refusing to look, but he held himself extremely still until Karen was done. She applied antiseptic cream on it and bandaged the wound.

Finally they were done. Before Gibbs could ask if he could be released, Karen told them that the doctor would come by on his rounds at around 10 in the morning, and that it would be easiest for Gibbs to stay put until then.

Gibbs was about to start insisting to be discharged when saw the significant looks that Karen was giving the yawning Tony and reluctantly he nodded. He could see that Karen wanted Tony to get some downtime. His husband was completely exhausted. Tony needed to sleep a little, and if it meant that Gibbs stayed in the hospital a few more hours, then he was OK with that.

“Agent Gibbs?” Karen turned to Tony.

Tony grimaced, regretting his snit. “You should call me Tony,” he offered.

“Tony,” she smiled. “Why don’t I scrounge up some spare scrubs and maybe bring in a cot so you can relax in here with Agent Gibbs?”

“Scrubs would be good,” Tony said. “But I won’t need a cot.”

Karen nodded, figuring that Tony would sleep in the chair. “I’ll be right back.”

Soon, Tony was dressed in green hospital scrubs, the pants a little short for his lanky frame, his own clothes hanging neatly in the closet. He climbed into the bed, settling himself down on Gibbs’ good side with his head on Gibbs’ chest and curling his body protectively around his husband. He was as careful and gentle as he could be with Gibbs’ broken arm.

“Sleep,” he told Gibbs. “I’ll watch over you, babe.”

Gibbs nodded and kissed Tony tenderly. “Love you.”

“Love you, Jet.”

And then he began running his fingers through Tony’s hair, petting him, scratching his scalp lightly, and Tony sighed and nuzzled into Gibbs’ chest, stretching his neck and purring softly.

“Love it when you purr,” Gibbs whispered.

“I don’t purr,” Tony yawned widely and snuggled into Gibbs’ chest, purring as Gibbs continued his ministrations.

“My silly, silly kitten,” Gibbs said quietly, ignoring his denial. “My brave, silly, sleepy kitten.”

“Not a kitten,” Tony mumbled into Gibbs’ chest, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open, but Gibbs’ fingers continued to pet him and pull yawns out of him, and he was so tired and stressed about the case, and from worrying about Gibbs, about seeing Gibbs lying on the ground, about thinking that Gibbs had died and left him.

“Yes you are, my gorgeous kitten,” Gibbs breathed, watching Tony’s eyelids blink heavily. “Sleep.”

Tony shook his head. “I’m watching over you.”

“Yeah you are,” Gibbs kissed his hair, and continued to rub his head, enjoying the quiet purring coming from deep in Tony’s throat. “My sweet, silly kitten.”

“’M _not_ a kitten,” Tony yawned, still purring.

Gibbs hummed softly, and Tony relaxed, eyes closing, breaths evening out. Suddenly the younger man jerked upright, almost hitting Gibbs’ nose with the back of his head.

“Thought I lost you,” he whimpered. “Saw you on the ground. So still. Thought you’d left me.”

“I’m right here,” Gibbs said soothingly, rubbing Tony’s head with his good hand. “Shhhh, gorgeous. I’m right here. See? I’m OK.”

“Don’t leave me,” Tony whispered, allowing Gibbs to push his head back down to his chest, and Gibbs’ fingers continued to massage his scalp. “Please.”

“I’ll never leave you,” Gibbs told him softly. “I’ll never leave you. I’ll always be here for you, I’ll always be with you whether I’m here with you physically or not.”

Tony shook his head. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you today.”

Gibbs kissed him gently. “You would’ve picked yourself up, solved the case, and gone on, gorgeous. Because it’s what we do. Our jobs are dangerous. We can’t hide from it.”

Tony shuddered. “I won’t make it without you.”

“Yes you will. You’re strong, love. I know you will.”

“I won’t want to.”

Gibbs sighed. “In our line of work, things might happen. You and I both know it.”

Tony nodded.

“I’ll always be with you, no matter what happens to me. I’ll always still be with you. I’ll always keep you with me in my heart, and I know you’ll do the same.”

Tony sighed and nodded into Gibbs’ chest. “Why’s this so much harder now?” he murmured.

“You have something to lose now. Something real. I do, too, again,” Gibbs’ words were gentle. “And that makes me the luckiest. You make me the luckiest.” Echoes of the song Tony had sung for him at their wedding went through his head.

Tony nodded, thinking that he was going to have to step up his game, watching Gibbs’ six, to do everything he could to ensure Gibbs’ safety. They’d always been good at keeping each other alive, if not exactly safe. He could continue to do that.

“Now let’s get some sleep, OK? I’m still kind of tired,” Gibbs fingers carried on stroking and petting Tony’s head.

Tony nodded, eyes drooping again as he purred softly. Finally he went still, eyes closed, sleep overtaking him, but even so, he purred intermittently in his sleep as Gibbs continued his ministrations.

“I’ve got you,” Gibbs whispered to his sleeping husband. “Sleep, love.”

Tony hummed in his sleep, still purring softly.

“Love you, Tony Gibbs,” Gibbs whispered softly, before he settled himself comfortably against his pillows and closed his eyes.

When Karen looked in later, both men were fast asleep, Tony curled around Gibbs, one arm around his waist, one leg across both of Gibbs’ legs. She smiled softly before she closed the door on them. Gibbs didn’t need any more concussion checks. She would wake them when it was time for the doctor’s rounds and Gibbs could get discharged and sent home. She sighed. Even though Gibbs had one arm in a cast, his other arm was around his husband, fingers buried in his hair. Even in sleep, they seemed to still be protective of each other.

She smiled, taking one last look before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cutsycat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat), I hope this cheered you up! A little dose of a silly, sleepy kitten for you. :D This was a gift from both Red_Pink_Dots and me, so if there was any magic involved, it was all her. Hopefully this will help push you towards feeling better and re-activating your muse!
> 
> If you haven't yet, go check out cutsycat's stories.
> 
> And of course, a huge big thank you goes out to [Red_Pink_Dots](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Pink_Dots)! It was super fun to collaborate with you again! I especially loved the kittens you snuck into this artwork :P And to be clear, Red_Pink_Dots not only did the artwork, but she also talked through the plot with me, gave me ideas on the plot, she omegaread, and helped with medical treatment ideas. So thank you! I will try to finish some of our other WIPs so we can showcase more of your artwork soon. :D
> 
> More hugs to cutsycat and Red_Pink_Dots! :D
> 
> The music I listened to for this story was mostly [Ain't No Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccmXWBluxIc) performed by Eva Cassidy. One of the things I loved about her version was that she changed the lyrics from "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone" to "Ain't no sunshine when he's gone", which fits better with our story ;) Well, that and she's awesome. :D
> 
> The title is from the song [The Luckiest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9bRmuP-kQY), by Ben Folds, Gibbs' and Tony's song in this 'verse.
> 
> Thank you so much! I'll be publishing my second Reverse Bang story tomorrow, so I'll see y'all soon! :D
> 
> -j  
> xoxo


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